This Time Around
by NiknEmBelong824
Summary: Nikolas and Emily are teenagers and best friends. When their feelings become more, will they be able to control them?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a cold November afternoon in Port Charles. The sun was shining brightly and the snow was falling lightly all around him. Walking through the park, he could hear children caroling from afar, even though Christmas was still almost two months away. It was moments like this when he really enjoyed his life. Even though his life was a wreck right now, it was times like these when he felt nothing but complete relaxation. This is exactly why he loved this season; this holiday. The time of joy, the time when family got together to spend happiness with each other. The time when miracles happen, when the most beautiful things in life take place. The time when old friends who have drifted apart, reunite and the bond becomes stronger than ever.

'Where did that come from?' He thought to himself. He knew exactly where it came from. He had seen Emily at school that day and she looked so beautiful. Smiling brightly, with the light of life shining through her eyes, he hadn't realized how far they had drifted apart, and how much he missed her. Tis the season, he was determined to get their friendship back... and maybe more this time.

Who was he kidding? He had always wanted more with Emily. Ever since the first time he saw her when she nearly knocked him over in the hallway at Port Charles Middle School 6 years earlier. He had forgotten his crush for a while, while he spent time with her and just focused on being her friend. She had been through far too much in her young life and he knew it was hard for her. They used to be best friends... what happened? _HE_ used to be the one she would run too when she couldn't handle her family. _HE_ used to be the one she would run too when she was having a problem and needed someone to talk to. _HE_ used to be the one she used to run too when she was in trouble.

He desperately missed the closeness they once shared. Of course with everything that's been happening in his life lately he hasn't had time to hang out with her. Between Katherine's death, Stefan's depression, Stefan's obsession with prepping him to take over the family business, his uncle's constant hovering and badgering him about getting a tutor and taking over the family business instead of being a normal 18 year old boy and going to _public_ school with his friends, and getting through school, he's barley been able to have time to think about Emily let alone try to figure out a way to whisk her off of her feet. Not that he hasn't thought about her. He thinks about her constantly, even when he doesn't see her. He's tried to catch her at school but she was always busy. Always working on school projects, charity events, social events, ECT. Always doing things to make other people happy. Typical Emily. That was one of the things he admired most about her.

He always tried to hide from his feelings for her. Try to hide by denying that he thought of her as anything but a friend, a little sister even. Sure he would date. Try to find what he knew he could have with Emily with someone else. Sarah Webber, the woman he claimed to love, is nothing compared to Emily and he knew it. He also knew that Sarah won't make him happy. Not the happiness he longed for. Not the love and compassion he never had growing up. He knew that she wasn't the woman he was supposed to be with and he was starting to think that she knew that too. Vice versa.

So lost in his thoughts, he didn't even realize he wasn't in the park anymore but at the docks. He slowed his pace when he heard a familiar voice.

"Julian, I understand. I know how important work is too you. I would never stand in the way of your career."

His heart started pumping rapidly when he heard her voice. Only two questions came to mind. Who was Julian and what did he want with Emily? He tip-toed behind the wall and clenched his jaw when he saw Julian take her in his arms.

"I know you do Em, you always do. God I love that about you." Julian whispered the last part and he could just make out what was said.

The green beast within came out full force as he watched Julian lean down and kiss her softly. He abruptly came down the stairs, interrupting the couple. He couldn't help the anger that was boiling his blood. He knew that he had no right to be angry. It wasn't like she was cheating on him. They weren't even together. She had absolutely no idea how he felt about her. How nervous he got when he was around her, or how his heart fluttered when she would flash one of those award winning smiles at him. To her he was just her best friend, nothing more. The anger inside of him vanished almost immediately when he saw her face as he approached them.

Emily's face lit up when she saw him. It seemed like forever since the last time they spoke. God how she had missed him. She was a bit startled when he stormed down the stairs and noticed how Julian had tensed up at the sight of him. Why would her boyfriend tense up in the presence of her best friend? Did he think that he was a threat to him? Did he feel out of place since they had known each other for years? The question flew from her mind when she saw him smile. "Nikolas!"

"Hey Em." God she looked beautiful, even with that leech attached to her side. Nikolas already hated this Julian guy with a passion, and he didn't even know him.

Julian held Emily even closer and, remembering that Julian was there and they had never been properly introduced, she quickly did the introductions. "Nikolas, this is Julian, Julian, this is my friend Nikolas." She said as she gestured her hands back and forth from them.

'Her friend. Just her friend' Nikolas thought bitterly. He stretched his hand to Julian and after a moment's hesitation, he took it. He was relieved with Julian's words.

"Well Em, I better get going. I'll see you tonight?" He asked, finally tearing his glare from Nikolas to gaze at her. At her nod he quickly kissed her on the lips and left.

After Julian was out of sight, Nikolas smiled brightly and embraced her. "It's been forever since we've seen each other."

Emily hugged him back, fiercely. "I know! I've missed you." She pulled back and playfully punched him in the arm. "Why haven't you been by? Is the Prince too busy for me?" She teased with a playful pout.

Nikolas smiled at her innocence. He loved it when she teased him. Although, he would never let her know that. "Of course not, and I'm sorry I haven't been around lately, I've been really…" What was the word to describe what he was going through? "Preoccupied." Not the word he would have used but it will suffice.

She nodded in understanding. "I know how ya feel." She sighed.

"How about I make it up to you?" He proposed. She perked up at his words then eyed him curiously.

"What do you have in mind Mr. Cassadine?" She smiled.

A long romantic weekend getaway with just you and me and no interruptions. He told himself silently. "Well what are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Actually I'm having dinner with my parents' tomorrow night." She paused for a second at his frown. "Trust me I would gladly cancel with them to go to dinner with you, because god knows I hate dining with my parents, but my dad is going out of town for 2 weeks so I have to." She reassured.

He smiled at her attempt to make him feel better. "Ok, well what about tomorrow afternoon? Like around... lunch time?" He smirked.

"Free."

"Ok then it's settled. We're having lunch tomorrow." They locked eyes for a moment, but was interrupted when her cell phone rang. Reluctantly breaking their gaze, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Excuse me a sec." He nodded and she flipped her phone up. "Hello?... What's wrong?... She what!... Oh my god, Lucky... Ok, I'll be right there." She hung the phone up and turned back to Nikolas. "Listen I got to go, your brother is really upset."

He noted how worried she was. "Oh, is there anything I can do?"

"I don't think so. He just needs someone to talk to."

He nodded in understandment. He could tell that she was worried about Lucky and as usual she was there for his rescue.

As if she was reading his mind she said, "I'll call you if I need anything though." Oh, how she knew him.

"Ok. You know I'm here."

She nodded. "I do."

"Ok, how about you just meet me at Kelly's tomorrow at 12?" He asked hopeful.

"Of course. I'll be there." She gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek and left Nikolas staring after her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nikolas was shocked as he felt a blow to his face. Sarah wasn't taking the news so well. He had called her out to Wyndemere because he needed to talk to her about something. He started feeling a twinge of guilt as she walked through the front doors as cheery as ever, and he was contemplating on how to tell her that he was breaking up with her. Even as she rambled on about how they were meant to be together he was thinking of a way to win Emily's heart.

"Nikolas why are you doing this? I thought you loved me, you TOLD me you loved me!" Sarah yelled as tears streamed down her face.

Nikolas frowned. He didn't love Sarah and she knew it. He wondered why she was so contempt on holding on to an endless relationship.

"Sarah I'm sorry. I really am but over the last few weeks I've felt like there is nothing left for us. That physical attraction that was once there when we got together is gone and I know that you feel it too." He paused and searched for some sign of understanding on her face, but she showed no emotion except sadness. "I honestly never intended to hurt y-"

He was cut off when Sarah exploded. "You never intended on hurting me? Well I'm sorry Nikolas but you DID! I can't believe this! You're breaking up with me. _You're _breaking up with_ me."_

Nikolas was a little offended by her words but recovered quickly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Is there someone else!" She asked suddenly, catching Nikolas completely off guard. She smirked at his surprised expression. "There is isn't there? Who is she?"

Nikolas knew if he told her it would only upset her even more. "There's no one else, Sarah." He lied. She nodded sadly, pursing her lips.

"Fine," With that, she turned quickly on her heels but stopped for a moment before adding, "You just lost the best damn thing that ever happened to you Nikolas Cassadine!" She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Nikolas sighed. He truly had never intended to hurt her, but he refused to stay in a sham relationship that had no future. He was relieved that it was over, but he did feel bad for hurting Sarah the way he did. Now he could focus all of his attention on winning Emily's friendship back first, then hopefully win her heart as well.

Emily stormed into the small apartment Lucky had over Jason's motorcycle shop. It looked like a tornado had ripped through it. There were clothes and liquor bottles spewed all over the floor and Emily became even more worried. The lights were off and she scanned the room for Lucky, but to no avail. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of a muffled whimper. She turned her attention to the couch and saw Lucky lying under some clothes. She rushed over to the couch and sat down on the edge. She placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Lucky?"

"Hmm, Em?" He slurred as he tried to sit up, which would have failed if Emily hadn't been there to help him up. Emily gasped at his appearance. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot and he reeked of alcohol.

"Yea it's me. Are you ok?" She asked in a soothing voice even though she already knew the answer by the looks of it.

"It's over, Em. She left me." He sobbed.

"What happened?" She whispered.

Lucky bowed his head and Emily could see the tears falling from his face. Her heart broke at the sight of him. "She said that she loves me too much to watch me hurt myself." He paused as another tear made its way down his cheek. "She said- She said that she can't stand by while I put myself in danger everyday by working for your brother."

"Oh my god, Lucky. I'm so sorry. I know how much Elizabeth loves you, I'm sure she'll come around."

"I don't think it's that simple." He buried his face in his hands and started sobbing. Emily immediately pulled him into a tight hug and he cried softly into her shoulder. "What am I going to do without her? She was my rock. After everything that's been happening, she was the one constant in my life. The one thing I looked forward to every morning when I woke up." His voice broke.

"Shh it's ok. Everything's going to be ok."

Lucky pulled back abruptly, "No Em, it's not!" He yelled. "I'm nothing without her. She was everything to me, she was the only person who saw past my sarcastic comments, my insecurities, and just saw me for me. She was the one person that loved me with everything that she had and I lost her. I let her down."

"Lucky, you didn't let her down. You both just want different things." She hesitated before continuing. "You could always leave the organization?"

He shook his head furiously, "No, I can't. I'm too far in to just leave now. I won't do that to Sonny and Jason."

"Not even for Elizabeth?" Emily asked gently.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(**Authors Note:** Ok, just forget Nikolas and Emily's history here. Katherine and Nikolas never got together and Emily never walked in on them on her birthday. Also, that little crush Emily had on Nikolas _did_ happen but no one ever knew her feelings for him. Plus there is no Juan in this fic. She's still a model but never went through the whole drug ordeal. Plus the timeline might be a little screwed up here because Nikolas is dating Sarah while Katherine is still around.. Well not really but I hope it works. :P)

Emily walked briskly into Kelly's the next day. Last night she had stayed with Lucky for about 3 hours while he cried and vented to her. She knew it would help him a lot and before she knew it he was asleep in her lap. After she was sure he was sleeping she went home and got ready for her date with Julian. It was their good-bye dinner. Julian had a modeling tour to go on and he would be traveling for the next month. The night was fun, she was sad to see him go but also relieved because lately she had felt like he was hovering over her constantly. Especially after that whole scene when they saw Nikolas on the docks. She told him that she would be here waiting for him when he got home.

She loved him. It had to be love. What else could this feeling be? Julian did have his flaws of course, but who didn't? He was always saying something that seemed like it was supposed to comfort her somehow. He was very, very overprotective of her and that drove her crazy sometimes. Although on the other hand, she found it sweet, like he wanted her all to himself.

She needed someone to care for her. She's felt like no one has even wanted her around. She understood that her family was busy with everything that's been going on but they don't even acknowledge her when she's in a room. Emily doesn't think herself to be selfish, but not even a hello? She deserves at least that, she reasoned. Her friends are the only constant in her life. Except right now, Elizabeth and Lucky are dealing with their break up and she understands how hard that is. She's never experienced the love they shared but she knows what it's like to lose someone you care for greatly and it's not fun.

Nikolas, she had missed him a lot. She barley ever saw him anymore and she was really glad that he asked her to lunch. It feels like they have a lifetime to catch up on. Nikolas has always been her best friend but she felt something different yesterday. She knew it was because of the crush she used to have on him, ever since the first moment she saw him, but she could have sworn that she saw something more in his eyes. The way he stared at her, the way he touched her when he hugged her, the way he insisted she go to lunch with him. She pushed the thoughts from her mind when she realized what she was thinking. This is Nikolas we're talking about. Her best friend. The same Nikolas that has always seen her as a little sister. Besides, she was with Julian now.

So be that as it may, everyone around her was too busy to include her in their lives. She has been keeping herself pretty busy anyway so she probably wouldn't have time to be in their lives if they weren't all preoccupied. Between Julian, school, being class president, and head charitable organizer she barley had a few moments to herself. With Julian leaving, she would have some time too herself, and maybe some time to reconnect with old friends.

She spotted Nikolas sitting at a booth and she quickly made her way over to him and sat across from him. He seemed so lost in thought; it took him a while to realize that she had arrived. He looked up and smiled when he saw her.

"Hey Em. Wow I didn't even see you come in." He blushed.

Wow, Nikolas Cassadine blushing. Emily never thought she would see the day. "It's ok. You seemed to be thinking pretty hard about something and I didn't want to disturb you." She smirked.

"No, no you didn't. I'm really glad you're here." She grinned, the grin that made his stomach do flip-flops.

He was quiet for a few moments so Emily decided to start the conversation. "So, Nikolas, What have you been up to lately?"

"Well, I've been pretty busy with school, plus I'm taking over Deception."

"Wow, really? Isn't Deception a _perfume_ business?"

He put on his fake 'I'm hurt' expression but failed miserably when the corners of his lips perked up in a smile. "What? You don't think I can run a perfume business?"

She giggled. "No, Nikolas it's not that I don't think you could run it. I'm sure you will do an excellent job. It's just that I never thought I would see you selling _perfume_." She reassured.

"Ok, so I admit it's not really my kind of job but when Katherine died she left it to me in her will." He shrugged, "who was I to argue? Besides, I'll probably turn it over to Stefan when I graduate."

"Ahh, I see. Well aside from work, how's the love life? How are you and Sarah doing?" She liked Sarah Webber. They used to be friends and Emily never had a problem with the two of them being together. Well, at first she did because at that time she had that roaring crush on him, but she got past that when she realized that Sarah made Nikolas truly happy. Besides, she knew how much Nikolas loved her so she would try to be friends with her, like it or not. Lucky for her she and Sarah actually had a lot in common. They got along great. She noticed how he tensed up at her name and wondered if they weren't as great as she had thought they were.

"Actually, we broke up." He voiced the thought floating around in her head.

Wow. She was shocked. Emily never thought they would break up. They were great together and she was truly happy for them. "Oh, I'm sorry." She said in a sympathetic tone.

"Thanks, but I-um, I broke up with her."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Oh. What happened?" She asked. "If you don't mind me asking," She added.

"No, i don't mind. I just realized that I didn't love her. The attraction was gone, you know?" At her nod he continued hesitantly. "Besides, I've kinda had feelings for someone else."

Emily smirked. "Ohhh. Well I thought you and Sarah were great together, but i understand where you're coming from and I'll always support your decision."

Nikolas smiled. He knew she would say something like that. He also didn't need her to tell him that she would support his decision, he already knew that too. He wondered how she would react when she found out that _she_ was the other one. Just then the waitress came over and took their orders.

"Thank you. So, who's the lucky lady?" He was caught of guard by the question and he knew she could tell. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry, just cuuuurious." She dragged out the word in a playful tone.

He was saved by answering the question when Elizabeth approached the table. She looked miserable. She wore sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt, her brown hair was pulled into tight bun behind her head, and her eyes were red and puffy. Nikolas immediately became concerned. He watched as Emily's face filled with sympathy and she voiced the concern in his head. "Hey Liz, how ya holding up?"

Elizabeth managed a small smile. "Um, I'll be fine... eventually."

Emily looked over at Nikolas with a pleading face and he spoke up. "Well you're welcome to join us for lunch."

Liz waved her hands to dismiss the offer. "Oh no, no I don't want to intrude. Besides I'm just here to pick up some food for me and grams. Thank you though."

"Ok, well just call me if you need anything ok?" Emily said

"Sure thing, thanks Em." She leaned down and hugged her friend, walked up to the counter, grabbed her food, and left the diner.

Nikolas turned his attention back to Emily. "What's going on?"

Emily lifted her gaze from the coffee in front of her to meet Nikolas' concerned brown eyes. "She and Lucky broke up last night."

Nikolas briefly closed his eyes. Lucky must be going through hell right now. He made a mental note to give him a call and check up on him later. "Oh."

"Yea," Emily breathed. "That's what that phone call was about yesterday on the docks."

"Oh i see. How's Lucky doing?"

"Not so good." She laughed lightly, "Wow, what an understatement. He's a wreck, Nikolas. I've honestly never seen him cry so much before."

Lucky cry? Nikolas never thought he would see the day. He could relate though. Even though Lucky and him weren't that close, Nikolas knew how much his brother loved Elizabeth. "I know how much they loved each other. I wonder if there's anything i can do."

Emily shook her head. "They just need some time. Hopefully, fate will bring them back together."

Nikolas smiled. She was so wise. She always knew exactly what to say. He figured now was a good time to bring up the question that's been bothering him since yesterday. "Speaking of relationships, who's Julian?"

Emily groaned inwardly. She knew this was coming. She knew he was bound to go into his overprotective mode and ask her sooner or later. She was trying to avoid it. "Julian is a… friend." 'Close enough' she thought.

"A friend?" Nikolas didn't buy it and she knew it. "He looked a little bit more than a friend yesterday."

"Fine, he's my boyfriend."

"Ok, why would you have a problem telling me about your boyfriend? And why have I not met him before?" He asked, a little hurt at the fact that she would have a problem telling him about something like that. Just goes to show how far apart they were.

"Nikolas, I know you, okay? I know how protective you get and I don't want you to worry about me. Julian is a great guy. So, if you want to inspect him or whatever it is you do, then you will have to wait until he gets back."

"Gets back?" Nikolas asked with a confused frown.

"Yes, he left to go on a modeling tour last night."

"Oh i see. How long will he be gone?" Nikolas couldn't help but ask.

"A month," She told him

"Wow."

"Yea. Maybe it's for the best you know? Lately, I feel like he's hovering over me. I'm actually kind of relieved that he'll be gone for a while. It will give me some time to put things into perspective."

"Well Em, if you feel that way then why don't you just end things with him?" Nikolas asked hopeful. He really was trying to put his feelings for her aside and be her friend, but when the opportunity came, he couldn't help but try to push Julian out of the picture.

Emily shrugged. "I can't break up with him Nikolas. I really care about him, and I want to be with him."

Nikolas shook his head, "I don't understand." He said, crossing his arms and leaning back in the booth.

"I don't expect you too. Listen, Julian is sweet, he's funny and smart and he loves me. He is just overprotective at times." She sighed. "It feels nice to be loved by… someone, anyone."

Nikolas stared at her incredulously. "How could you possibly believe that you're not loved?"

Emily sighed, "Nikolas, I don't mean loved, like how my family or you love me, I mean love. Like, in love."

Nikolas groaned inwardly. There was nothing he could really say to that, at least not without revealing his own feelings toward her. He would want nothing more that to tell her that the love he feels for her is much different than the little sister affection she thinks she has on him, so he says the only thing he knows what to say, "Oh I see." Nikolas sighed.

"Julian's good to me. He's good for me, I mean we have a lot of fun together, it's just- I don't know."

Nikolas knew she was confused. He knew the feeling. He's had a lot of experience in that department. He hated her talking about how great Julian was so, lucky for him, the waiter came by and placed their food on the table. He took the opportunity and changed the subject. "So, what have you been up to lately?"

She perked up at his question. She was just so glad for the change in subject. "Well I've been keeping myself busy with school."

"Oh yea?"

"Yea, right now I'm focusing all of my attention on the dance next week." She smiled.

"Ahh, yes. 'The Winter Ball', you organized the entire thing?" He asked, impressed.

"Yes i did. I don't think I'm going to go to it though."

"What? Why wouldn't you go?"

"Well, i can't go to the dance without a date, Nikolas. I would have gone with Julian but he's working."

"Emily, you have to go. Ok, how about you be _my_ date?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Emily was clearly taken aback by his request. "Nikolas, i couldn't ask you to do that. I'm sure you would want to ask you're new lady love to the dance." She reasoned.

Nikolas laughed softly. If she only knew. "Don't be silly. I would be honored to go with you."

Emily smiled. Leave it up to Nikolas to fix her problems. "Well... If you're sure." She said, still unsure herself.

"I insist."

"Ok, then. We'll go together." They locked eyes until the gaze got intense. Emily finally looked away and filled the silence. "Since the dance is almost over, I'm going to have to find a new project to keep myself busy with." She smiled.

"Well i have a proposal."

"Oh yea, and what would that be?" She asked, clearly interested.

"I'm moving out of Wyndemere and into a cottage, and I need some help decorating."

Emily frowned. "Since when are you moving out of Wyndemere?"

"Well, my uncle has been badgering me constantly about going to business school or private school so that I can take over the family business." He shrugged. "I'm not taking over the family business."

"Why not?" She asked. "I thought you were into all the business mumbo jumbo." She waved her hands in the air.

"I just don't have the desire to end up like him. I want to make something of my life, you know? I want to work for my career and not inherit it." She nodded, understanding exactly how he felt. "Besides, it will give us some time to hang out. It seems like forever since we've spent time together, not including today." He smiled.

"Of course, i would love to!" She exclaimed. "When can i see the place?"

"Anytime. Are you busy tomorrow after school?"

"Actually, i have to put some last minute touches on the dance after school, but I'm free after that." She answered.

"Ok, then how about i just pick you up when you're done?"

"That sounds good." They were interrupted at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She groaned as she reached into her purse and pulled her flip phone out. She lifted her index finger at Nikolas. "I hate this thing, I'll only be a sec." He nodded and she answered her phone. "Hello... When?... Ok... I'll be right there." She sighed and hung up her phone. "I'm sorry Nikolas, i have to go. Jason needs a last minute babysitter."

He nodded. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yea, I'll see you after school tomorrow. Thanks for lunch." She smiled.

"No problem." Nikolas watched her get up and leave. After that, he threw some bills on the table and walked out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nikolas walked quietly into the auditorium where Emily was. He stood at the door and leaned against the frame, smiling to himself as he watched Emily boss everyone around.

"Argh! No no no!" Emily sighed in frustration. "The banner is supposed to be silver, not black. Black is not Christmas colors! And the _background_ of the banner is supposed to be silver. The _writing_ is supposed to be red and green!"

Brad looked terrified. Emily felt bad for scaring the kid. 'This is what I get for growing up with the Quartermaines.' She thought to herself. Her face softened and she sighed again. "Look, don't worry about it. I'll talk to Aimee and get everything fixed." He smiled in relief and walked away.

"Freshman." She muttered under her breath. She had the sudden feeling that someone was watching her and she whirled around to find Nikolas leaning on the door with a silly grin on his face. She smiled as she approached him. "Hey! How long have you been here?"

"Not long" He replied, his grin growing wider.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked.

"Nothing, I'm just amused watching you boss everyone around."

She playfully elbowed him in the stomach. "I do _NOT_ boss people around. I was just telling them what they did wrong and merely _suggesting _that they fix it." She defended. "Besides, it's not my fault that they got it wrong the first time. Who else is going to tell them that they made a mistake?" He chuckled softly. "This dance has to be perfect, Nikolas!"

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know Em, and I'm sure it _will_ be perfect. But, they're doing the best they can." As she rolled his eyes he added, "Relax. Everything will be fine. You're just stressing yourself for nothing."

She sighed. She knew he was right but she couldn't help but be stressed. The dance was Friday and there was still so much to do. She hoped checking out Nikolas' new cottage will help ease her worry. "You're right."

She pulled him into a tight hug and Nikolas's heart fluttered at her touch. He reluctantly released her when she pulled away. "I'm almost done! I just have to go talk to Aimee really quick, grab my coat and then we can get out of here." She assured.

He nodded. "It's no problem. I'm a little early anyway, I don't mind waiting. Take all the time you need." She smiled and walked away.

Nikolas watched her from afar, admiring her beauty. His feelings for her were intensifying more every second he was with her. What would she do when she found out how he felt about her? He thought the question he kept asking himself over and over again all day. He knew she didn't feel the same way and he was worried that if he _did_ tell her, then it would ruin their friendship. Losing her wasn't an option, and he was terrified that if she did find out the truth, then he would lose her for sure or at least severely damage the relationship that have.

He couldn't tell her, he decided. The stakes were too high, and there was no way that he was going to risk what they had for his own happiness. But how in the world was he going to spend the day with her when all he wanted to do was kiss her and hold her close? He would get through it like he usually does. Hell, he'd been doing it for the past 6 years; he could manage being_ just _friends with her and never having anything more. Couldn't he? He wasn't so sure anymore.

Nikolas would just have to settle for being the best friend. Watch her fall in love with everyone but him. Be the one who comforts her and listen when she needs to vent about her boyfriend. 'Hey, it's better than being nothing at all.' he thought. Even though he felt this way now, he probably wouldn't forever right? He would find someone and move on from Emily. Yeah right. He would never get over Emily. He would always be in love with her, if she knew it or not.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The only touch that made his stomach do flip-flops when he felt it. He looked down to meet a pair of chocolate brown eyes. "Nikolas? Are you ok?"

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. The one that always does when she touches him. "Yea, I'm fine. Just thinking."

Concern obvious on her features, she studied him carefully. "We don't have to go check out the cottage today. We can do it another night." She said

"No, no don't be silly. I'm fine." He flashed her a reassuring smile. "You ready to go?"

She hesitated, still unsure, and then nodded. "Yea, let me just grab my stuff and we can get out of here." She turned around and walked to a chair where her books were sitting. She picked up her books and walked towards him. She stood in front of him and looked him over a second before setting her books down to put her jacket on. He instinctively took her jacket and helped her into it. She smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem." He replied. He grabbed her books for her and led her out to his car.

The ride was driven in complete silence. Emily wasn't sure what was wrong with Nikolas and she figured she would wait until he talked to her about it. She just gazed out the window until they came to a stop. She hadn't even realized that they were there until Nikolas cut the engine.

Nikolas turned to her and smiled. "We're here." He got out of the car and walked around the hood to open the door for Emily. She thanked him and he led her to the small house. He fished out the keys and opened the door.

"Wow." Was all Emily said for a few moments. The place was beautiful. Although it was empty, it was large and elegant. The room was all white, with a fireplace in the front room. The kitchen was off to the right and on the left there was a fancy staircase. She knew right away that she would have a ball decorating this place. Ideas were already popping into her head.

Nikolas stood in the doorway, watching as Emily walked around the house admiring everything, occasionally touching things. The only thing he was admiring was her. He didn't even notice anything around him. Nothing in the world existed at that moment but him and Emily. 'Man, I got it bad.' He thought to himself.

She turned all the way around until she faced Nikolas again. "Oh my god, Nikolas! It is absolutely beautiful!"

"I was thinking the same thing." He said aloud, his eyes never leaving hers. She looked down as she blushed, which made Nikolas' grin grow even wider. He slowly walked down the two small steps that follow the door and walked towards her until he stood right in front of her. "So, you like it?"

She looked up and met his eyes once again with a silly grin on her face. "Are you kidding? I _LOVE_ it! Wow, Nikolas, your taste has definitely improved." She teased. "This place is a definite step up from gothic rooms and gargoyles."

He laughed softly. "Alright, now that you have seen the place, and made fun of my choice in homes, do you have any ideas on how to spruce it up?" He asked.

Emily turned her back to him to look over the place again. "Hmm, let's see." She walked over and examined the white colored walls. "I was thinking maybe a beige color on the walls. What do you think?" She turned her face towards him for his approval.

He smiled warmly at her and shrugged. "Sounds good to me. This is your project, remember?"

"You know, you may live to regret giving me so much power later on." She laughed.

"Well, that is a risk that I am willing to take." He paused for a moment to take in her reaction. A serious expression took over his features. "Look Em, the reason I asked you to do this is because i trust you. Plus I wanted to spend more time with you." He confessed.

She smiled. "I'm flattered. And, I'm honored you would ask me to do this for you."

"Ok then, now that that is cleared up, what else do you have in mind?"

Her face lit up at the question. She turned around and walked to the center of the room. "Ok, well furniture wise, I was thinking a white, sectional couch in the center of the room. Then, a glass end table right next to the couch." She paused and gestured her hands to where she would place everything. "We can put a white, leather recliner on the other side of the end table, so it will be lined up, and we can top it off by putting glass coffee table in the center." She finished. She looked over at him to see his expression, but he just stared at her with a big smile plastered on his face. Her heart fluttered and she cleared her throat nervously.

"I think it sounds perfect."

Emily sighed in relief, glad that he liked her ideas. "Great! When do you want to start fixing this place up?"

He shrugged. "Whenever. I would like to get this place ready as soon as possible so whenever you want to start painting and picking out furn--"

Emily cut him off. "What? We're going to be painting?" She asked, clearly amazed.

Nikolas just laughed. "Yea, why not? It will be fun."

"It does sound like fun. I just never pictured you as the painter type." She teased.

"Hey, I can paint." He defended.

She raised her hands in surrender. "Ok, ok. I'm just saying that I am going to have to see this to believe it." She giggled. "Well, is there anything else?"

He pursed his lips and shook his head. "I don't think so. Although, I am starved! What do you say we get out of here and go get something to eat?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Sounds good to me."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Nikolas, I'm living at the gatehouse now." Emily said.

"Really? Since when? I thought Ned was living there."

"Nope, Ned is moving back to Besonhurst to be with Lois, and Brooke Lynn. So, after a LOT of pursuing, my parents agreed that since I'm getting older I need my independence." She explained with a proud grin. "It was either this, or me moving out completely and getting my own place." She added.

Nikolas nodded in understandment.

After they left the cottage, Nikolas had taken Emily out to dinner. Emily had fun spending some time with Nikolas and he seemed to be enjoying himself too. Now he was taking her home.

Emily could remember blushing a few times at the way Nikolas was staring at her. He seemed so different. He seemed to be focusing more attention on her than usual. Not that Emily minded. He still made her heart flutter when he stared at her the way he did. It almost made her raging crush come back to life. Almost.

This is Nikolas. She told herself. One of your oldest, and dearest friends. He still thinks of you as little Emily. The little sister. He doesn't have those feelings for you so stop building up false hope. False hope? Did she truly hope that Nikolas did have those feelings for her? Did she have those feelings for him? No, she doesn't. She couldn't. She had those feelings for Julian. Didn't she? Julian was a great guy and everything but he wasn't Nikolas. She refused to give into those growing feelings once again. She had fallen for him once only to have her feelings stomped on. Not that he knew he had hurt her. He never knew how she felt about him. No one did. And no one ever will.

She was with Julian. Just keep telling yourself that Emily. She shouldn't even be thinking of Nikolas in this way. There was just something in his eyes that made Emily think that maybe Nikolas did see her in that way. The way she had always wanted him to see her in. Impossible, she told herself.

Nikolas' car came to a stop in front of the gatehouse and Emily turned to face him. "Do you want to come in and check the place out? I redecorated the entire thing after Ned left. You can see what you got yourself into." She smiled.

"I would love to." With that, he got out of the car and walked around to help Emily out of the passenger's side.

Making their way to the door, Nikolas' hand immediately went to the small of her back, savoring her touch. He waited patiently as she fished out her keys, feeling content just being in her presence. As they made their way inside, Nikolas noticed how the front room looked like an office. "Is this still the headquarters for L&B?" He asked.

"Not really. L&B business has gone down drastically since Robin left."

Nikolas nodded in understandment. "Oh, I see."

He followed Emily towards the back of the office to double doors. He had never actually been in the house-part of the gatehouse. She opened the doors to a very cozy living room.

The room was big and the walls were beige and brown. There was a large white couch in the center of the room facing a wooden entertainment center. Off to the left of the room was a conjoining room that looked as if it were a family room. Inside it had a large fire place and a small sectional couch in front of it. How he longed to cuddle up with Emily in front of a blazing fire.

To the right of the living room there was a spiral staircase going upstairs and next to the stairs was a large kitchen. This place had Emily's name written all over it.

Nikolas turned back to face Emily, who was studying him. "You did all this?" She nodded. "Wow, I'm very impressed."

"Thank you." She smiled brightly. "It was so much fun designing this place. Although I did have a little help from Carly."

He smirked at her. "Well I have no doubt that you will do a fantastic job with my cottage." He walked around the living room, taking in everything. "So, how about the grand tour?"

She smiled. "Sure."

She showed him around the living room, the kitchen, the family room. They started walking upstairs and into her bedroom.

Her bedroom was pink. It had a canopy bed towards the right, right in front of a large window. There was a small dresser next to the bed and next to that is an entertainment center. Against the wall on the other side there was a white desk overflowing with books and papers. There was a small conjoining bathroom and a large walk in closet next to it.

Nikolas smiled at all the clothes on the floor. "I think you need a maid service."

She laughed lightly, embarrassed. "Yeah, I haven't gotten around to cleaning up. Been pretty busy."

He nodded and plopped down onto her bed. "I like it."

She giggled. "I'm glad."

He reluctantly stood up. "Well, I've got to be going. I have a meeting to get to."

Emily sighed. She didn't want him to go. She loved spending time with him like this. When it comes to Nikolas, work was very important. "Ok, I'll walk you out."

They got to the front door and Nikolas turned to her. "I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked hopeful.

She smiled. "Sure." Her heart almost stopped when he pulled her into a hug and kissed her gently on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

She nodded. "Bye."

Nikolas walked briskly into Kelly's, wrapped tightly in his black overcoat. It was a cold evening. The ground was now covered with a blanket of snow. He saw Emily sitting at a table, absently twirling her straw in her soda. He noticed the pile of books on the table and figured she was studying for her exams. She looked broken. Upset. He wondered what was bothering her and decided to find out.

Emily was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice Nikolas sit down across from her until she heard "Penny for your thoughts?"

Startled, she darted her head up at the sound of his voice. She smiled warmly at him. "Hey Nikolas," She dropped her hand from her soda and sat back in the chair. "What's up?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Nothing, I just decided to come down to Kelly's before i starved to death." He joked. "What about you?" He leaned up to take a look at the open Calculus book in front of her. "Studying?"

She seemed confused by the question until she gazed down at her books. "Oh, yeah,"

"In the middle of Kelly's?" He asked with a smirk.

"I just needed a distraction." She knew that wasn't going to be enough from the look on Nikolas' face but it was worth a shot.

"Ok Em, spill. What's wrong?"

It didn't surprise her that he knew something was wrong. He always could see right through her, even when she barley showed her feelings. She sighed heavily. "What makes you say something is wrong?" She asked flatly.

He knew she was dodging the question. She had a habit of doing that. Always afraid that she could never talk to anyone. Make herself feel like she is all alone in the world, even though she never is, or never would be. At least as long as Nikolas had something to say about it. "Em, quit avoiding the question."

"I'm fine Nikolas." She stated, not as convincing as she wanted.

He leaned in real close to her face until she could practically feel his breath on her face. "Has anyone ever told you that you are the worst liar in the world?" He smirked.

She let out a soft, sad laugh. "You always could see right through me."

He leaned back in his chair again, his eyes never leaving hers. "So? Are you going to tell me what's wrong or am i going to have to pry it out of you?" He teased.

She sighed and tore her eyes from his intense gaze. She suddenly found her soda fascinating.

Nikolas' face turned serious and he cupped her chin with his hand so that she would look at him. His heart ached as he saw her eyes well up with tears. "Em?" He said softly.

She sniffled and looked around the slightly crowded diner. "Let's go for a walk, ok?"

He nodded slowly. "Sure." He knew that she needed someone to talk to and he was sure that Kelly's was the last place she wanted to do that. He stood up and helped her put her books into her backpack and carried it out to his car. They walked silently for a few moments. Nikolas didn't know how to start so he decided he would let her lead the conversation. She stopped at an isolated area and sat down at a bench. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his, silently telling her that it was ok to talk to him.

Finally she broke the silence. "My dad was arrested today." She whispered. She kept her gaze on the snow covered ground and Nikolas gently squeezed her hand.

Nikolas' eyes widened. Alan arrested? "Oh my god, what are the charges?" He asked softly. He felt her shiver slightly and he let her hand go and wrapped his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"Second degree murder." She paused and snuggled up to the warmth of his body. "Apparently he was really, really drunk and on a bunch of pills when he had one of his all famous affairs." She paused and took a deep breath. "With a hooker." She finished quietly. "I don't know all the details but I do know that she's dead and my dad is in cuffs because of it." She felt a few tears drop from her eyes as all the events of the day finally caught up with her. She looked up at Nikolas, "What am I supposed to do? I have no idea how one is supposed to react to finding out that a man that you've loved, looked up to and lived with for almost half of your life gets arrested for murder?"

"I don't know." He couldn't believe what she was saying. He didn't know Alan very well but he would never mark him as a murderer. "I guess there's nothing you really can do. Do you believe that he's guilty?" He asked hesitantly.

She sighed and nodded her head softly. "Yea, I do." She wiped her eyes slowly. "Does that make me a horrible person?"

He stroked her hair gently as she talked. All he wanted to do at this moment was hold her close and protect her from the pain. Shield her so that nothing bad could ever happen to her. "Well, why do you think he's guilty?"

She shrugged. "All the evidence points to him. The woman was strangled to death, and his fingerprints were all over her neck." She shifted her gaze back to the ground. "Besides," she sniffled, "he's been known to act out when he's doped up. Known for being violent when he's been using." She whispered.

"What?" He didn't know that Emily could be in danger living in that house with him. "Has he ever been violent towards you?" He asked, nervously waiting for the answer. If he ever, _ever _laid a hand on her he would kill him himself.

"No, he's never hit me or anything. I mean, we've gotten into really big arguments while he was… that way, but never anything physical." She hesitated before continuing, "Although I've seen him hit my mom before."

Nikolas couldn't believe his ears. "Emily, how come you never went to the police with this?"

"Because I only saw it once. I wanted to go to the cops and turn him in right then and there." She slightly turned her body towards his. "Nikolas, you have no idea how angry I was when I saw that. I was filled with such hatred towards him for even laying a finger on her."

"Why didn't you?" He asked.

"I didn't because directly afterward, my mom pleaded with me not to turn him in. She told me that he loved her and that he would never do it again. That he was getting help for the alcohol and the drugs." She rested her head back on his shoulder and took a deep breath, willing herself not to shed anymore tears. "I didn't believe her, but I forced myself too. Maybe because I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to think about Alan doing any harm to my mom after she stuck by him through so much. I can't even face her or the rest of the family."

"I think they need you the most right now."

Emily stiffened at the idea of facing them. "Don't you see Nikolas? I could have prevented this entire thing but I didn't. My father killed an innocent woman and it's partly my fault."

Nikolas stared at her incredulously. "Emily, how could you blame yourself for this? You were trying to oblige to your mothers wishes. There's no way that you could have known this would happen."

"The guilt is still there. I didn't believe it when she said that he wouldn't do it again. An abusive husband doesn't just hit their wife once. It doesn't work that way. If I had just turned him in then, then that woman wouldn't be dead and my father would have gotten exactly what he deserves."

"Emily this is not your fault." Nikolas stated firmly. "Please don't blame yourself for this. There is no way in hell, unless you're a psychic, could you have known that something like this would have happened."

Finally, she just gave into her overwhelming feelings and began to cry. Nikolas wrapped his arms even tighter around her when she started to shake with sobs. "Shh, it's ok." He reassured. He couldn't help but notice how perfectly she fit into his arms. It's moments like this he cherishes, even though he wished the circumstances were different, he held onto these rare moments when he could hold her like his. When she confided in him and he was there to comfort her, hold her when she cried.

"Nikolas?" She mumbled against his chest.

"Yes?" He whispered. She lifted her head from his chest, and her face was streaked with tears. Nikolas' heart broke at the shattered look on her face. He felt so helpless. The one thing he wasn't used to feeling. Like he could do absolutely nothing to ease her pain. To fix this.

"Thank you so much for being here with me. I don't know what I would do without you. You're the first person I've told this too. But I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to me dump my problems on you." She laughed softly.

She started to get up but he pulled her back to him. "Emily, you are one of my best friends. I am always, _ALWAYS_, here when you need me, ok?"

She nodded and he reached out to brush a few stray tears from her face. Emily was oblivious to the way he felt about her. She was just so grateful for him. The way he would listen to her and hold her when she cried about her dysfunctional family. She honestly didn't know what she would do without him. He was so gentle, so loving. He was just what she needed. She could feel herself starting to fall for him all over again and she really didn't want to stop. She knew Nikolas was just being the wonderful friend he had always been. She knew Nikolas would never feel that way about her.

He cupped her face with one hand while his thumb lingered on her cheek, stroking it gently.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Emily sniffed.

He laughed softly. "I think the question is what did I do to deserve you?"

She tilted her head back to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. "You are such a good friend, Nikolas. God, I love you so much for that." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. He knew she loved him in a best friend/big brother kind of way, but just hearing those words made him feel happier than he had in a long time. It rejuvenated him with hope. False hope, maybe, but he really didn't care. Maybe that's what he needed. False hope. Who was he kidding? False hope leads to heart ache and disappointment and he had had too much of that in his life.

He wrapped his arms around her small waist and held her close while whispering, "I love you too, Em." With all my heart, he added silently.

Emily noticed the change of his tone as he said those words. What was that she heard in his voice? Was it the big brother affection or did he mean those words in a different sense? She wasn't sure anymore and cursed herself silently for even contemplating it. She reluctantly pulled away and stood up from the bench.

Nikolas immediately felt bereft as soon as she left his embrace. That hug didn't last nearly as long as he would have liked. He studied her face carefully as she paced in front of him. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were glazed and were drooping. "Emily." He said gently. She looked up at him with her eyebrows raised in silent questioning. He stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders, stilling her movement. "You look exhausted. Come on, let's get you home."

She wanted to protest. She honestly didn't want to go anywhere near the Quartermaine mansion but she was so tired. It had been a long day. "I don't want to go home, Nikolas. I don't want to be near my family right now." She whispered and he pulled her into his arms. She rested her head against his chest and sighed heavily.

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It's ok. Why don't you stay at Wyndemere tonight?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

She pulled away so that she could look at him. A small smile spread across her face and Nikolas felt his heart flutter. God she was beautiful.

She pursed her lips, "Nikolas, I don't think Stefan would approve of me spending the night."

He laughed. "Stefan is out of town for a couple of days, and you don't want to go home right now. You can stay in one of the guest rooms and I'll take you home tomorrow."

Her smile grew wider. "That would be so wonderful Nikolas. Thank you." She hugged him close once again.

"No problem." He whispered, holding her even closer.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nikolas led Emily to the room right next to his, with his arm wrapped around her so that she wouldn't buckle. She looked so drained. She had barley said anything on the way over here. He opened the door and she shrugged away from him. Nikolas stood at the door, watching her gaze around the room until her eyes made their way to his.

She sighed. "I love this room." She whispered.

He smiled warmly at her. "I know you do." He had remembered that she specifically liked this room from the last time she had spent the night. They were studying together and she decided to stay the night because it was really late when they finished up. Now that seemed like ages ago.

Emily felt a lot better now, even though the pain and guilt still lingered. She silently thanked god for giving her Nikolas as a friend. He was such a great guy. He always remembered the little things that she liked. Whether it was a room, a perfume, or just a topping on a pizza. She loved this room. She remembered the last time she had stayed here; she had told Nikolas that this room made her feel like a princess. It was so gothic and medieval. Like something that came out of a fairytale. As she ran her slim fingers over the chestnut bureau something occurred to her.

"Nikolas? I have no clothes to wear."

He pursed his lips and lifted his hand to his chin while he pondered the question. "Hmm, well I could run you over to the house to get a change of clothes?" She shook her head.

"I don't want to go home."

Nikolas nodded. He knew exactly how she felt. Maybe not exactly because his father had never been arrested for murdering a hooker, but he knew how guilt felt. "You can wear one of my t-shirts?"

Emily smiled. The first real genuine smile since he had ran into her at Kelly's. "That would be perfect Nikolas, thank you so much." She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "For everything." He held her tightly, savoring the feel of her in his arms.

"Em, you have to know that I would do anything for you." He murmured against her hair. She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes, tears brimming in her own.

"I know that." She whispered. She felt so content at this moment. The feel of his arms wrapped securely around her made her feel happy and safer than she has in a long time. This is where she wanted to be. Right here with this man. Too bad he will never find out how she feels about him. She couldn't bear to lose him and she was sure that if she told him that her feelings were a bit more than friendly than she would lose him for sure. Even if she didn't lose him their friendship would never be the same and there was no way in hell that she was going to risk that. Still in his arms she leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek. She left his warm embrace and moved across the room to sink into a big plush chair.

She kept her eyes fixed on the floor as she spoke softly. "What happened to us?"

Her voice was so low that Nikolas had to move closer to hear her. "What do you mean?"

Emily lifted her glistening eyes to his. "I mean, we used to be best friends Nikolas. Then, out of no where, we just lost contact. We didn't speak for months. What happened?"

Nikolas couldn't stand to see her in so much pain and he knew that he was partly to blame for it. It was true, they hadn't talked in ages and he had no idea why. He had missed her desperately. Even while they were apart, he had loved her from a distance. Sometimes, it was so hard to be around her knowing that she would never have the feelings for him that he had craved, but he would just push those feelings aside and remind himself that it wasn't her fault because she had no idea that he felt so strongly for her. That didn't mean that he didn't want to spend time with her. That's all he ever wanted to do. They had become busy all of a sudden. Emily started modeling more and school and her growing career had consumed all of her time. Besides that, he was busy trying to help his uncle cope with the death of his fiancée, plus taking over Deception and trying to juggle school with it.

He kneeled in front of her and took her hands in his. "Life happened." He paused to study her face and he could see all of her conflicting emotions. That's one of the things he loved so much about her. She was never afraid to show how she felt. He sighed, "I don't really know what happened Em. We are both dealing with a lot right now and i guess our friendship got knocked down on our list."

She nodded, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. "I miss the closeness we used to have, you know?"

"Me too, But hey, we have been spending a lot of time together lately. That closeness will be back before you know it. And I promise you, i am never just going to forget about you, ok? I will _always _be here when you need me." She smiled and he found himself smiling too. He reached out and wiped a few tears that had made their way down her face.

Emily laughed softly and hugged him fiercely. "I want you to know that I will always be here for you too, Nikolas." She whispered.

He closed his eyes and silently counted his blessings. Emily was number one. Nikolas reluctantly pulled away and looked deep into her eyes. "I'm going to go get you something to sleep in." He said softly and she nodded. She watched as he stood up and made his way out of the room.

She closed her eyes and leaned back into the comfort of the chair. She was so exhausted. It had been a long day. Her mind was running rampid with thoughts. All Nikolas. 'Big surprise there,' she thought to herself. She was so grateful for him. She knew her feelings for him were growing and she didn't know how to stop them. She wasn't even sure she wanted too but she knew that if she fell for him her heart would end up broken. How did she get in this position again? She thought she had killed the crush that she had had on him. Emily was just afraid that this wasn't just a crush. Maybe she was falling...

"I found something for you to sleep in." Nikolas said as he walked back into the room. He had walked in to find her laying back with her eyes closed, obviously deep in thought. He wondered what she was thinking about. Probably her father and someway to make everything better. He was just thankful that she had confided in him about that. He didn't even want to think about what she would have done if he hadn't made her talk to him after he found her at Kelly's. She had a tendency to keep things bottled up and to withhold any emotion from anyone. That's why he made her talk to him, because he knew that it would make her feel better, and by the looks of it, it did.

Emily's eyes shot open at the sound of his voice. She smiled weakly as he placed the clothes on her lap. She picked up the shorts and arched her brow. "Basketball shorts? You? Wow, I'm shocked!" She teased.

Nikolas just shrugged. "Lucky gave them to me. He said that i need to dress more my age and not like the Cassadine Prince. I guess formal wear isn't really my brothers' style." He smiled when he heard her giggle. It was like music to his ears. "I've never actually worn them." He added.

"I figured as much. These will work fine. Thank you, Nikolas." She said as she stood up and walked into the conjoining bathroom. She emerged a moment later in his big blue shirt that seemed to swallow her, and the shorts. She laughed and reached her arms out. "I think the shirt is too big for me."

"Well, it is just to sleep in." He said as he drank in the sight of her.

"I know. It's perfect." She climbed under the silk sheets and Nikolas pulled the comforter over her.

"It might get cold tonight so there is an extra blanket over here if you get chilly in the middle of the night." He informed her as he gestured to the chair to his left. "Goodnight Em." He kissed her on the forehead and turned to leave but stopped when she spoke. "Nikolas..." He turned to face her. She was looking down and playing with the hem of the blanket.

"Yes?" He asked softly.

She raised her eyes to his, "Will you stay with me for a little while? I don't want to be alone right now." She whispered.

He smiled and nodded. "Sure." She scooted over and Nikolas climbed in next to her, on top of the blankets. He opened his arms to her and she accepted, resting her head on his shoulder. He ran his hands through her silky brown hair. "Do you want to talk?" He whispered as he placed a light kiss to her forehead.

"Yea," she whispered sleepily.

"What do you want to talk about?"

She sighed and snuggled into his side. "Tell me about Greece. I love when you talk about growing up there."

He laughed softly. He told her all about Greece and his childhood. He told her stories about growing up with his uncle and some of the other Cassadine's like cousins, etc. They talked for about an hour. Nikolas lifted his head to look at Emily, she was sound asleep. He sighed; she looked so peaceful when she's sleeping. He knew that she was exhausted and that she needed to sleep, that's why he didn't bother trying to get up. He covered her with the blanket and watched her sleep for hours until he finally fell asleep himself.

The next morning Nikolas woke up to find an arm sprawled across his chest. He smiled when he realized it was Emily and what had happened last night. She was still sleeping. He kissed her forehead and she began to stir. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and her hand started to feel around.

'This isn't my bed,' Emily thought to herself as she woke up. Her pillow was hard and muscular, not soft and fluffy. Finally realization dawned on her when she looked up and found an amused Nikolas smiling down at her. She sighed softly and smiled up at him. "How long have you been trapped there?"

He laughed, "I'm ok, really." He paused as she buried her head in his shoulder. His expression turned serious. "How did you sleep?"

She looked back up at him and smiled. "Great, I can't remember the last time i slept through the entire night. Thank you, Nikolas."

"For what? I didn't do anything."

She laughed softly. "I'm pretty sure you being here next to me was a big factor in me sleeping well."

"Well, in that case, I'm glad that I could help." He replied, touched by her words.

Emily reluctantly left Nikolas' embrace and sat up. Nikolas couldn't help but watch as she stretched. She turned her head and smiled slowly at him as she asked, "What time is it?"

It took the question a minute to register in Nikolas' mind. He looked dazed until her voice snapped him back into reality. "Nikolas?"

He shook his head and looked at his watch. "It's 8:30. 1st period doesn't start for another hour and a half."

"Oh ok, good."

"How about you go get ready and I'll swing you by the gatehouse before we go to school."

Emily nodded her head and stood up and walked into the bathroom. Nikolas took the time to clear his mind of the thoughts racing through it. He shook his head and paced around the room until he stopped in front of the window and gazed out. What was he going to do? He seemed to be asking himself that question a lot these days. What was it that he had done when they hung out before? Oh, that's right, keep his mouth shut and be her friend.

Emily came back into the bedroom to see Nikolas staring out the window with his arms crossed in front of him. He seemed to not hear her so she cleared her throat to get his attention. He swung around and smiled. "Ready?" He asked.

She nodded her head and they walked out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

School was so boring, Emily thought as she stared at the clock in 6th period, waiting very impatiently for it to ring so that she could go see Nikolas. He was supposed to give her a ride because he had given her a ride to school, and her car was at home. Of course that was not the only reason she wanted to see him. Her crush was definitely back, she couldn't fight it anymore. She just hoped that it was just a crush, nothing more. Three… two... Emily jumped up and ran for the door as soon as the bell rang, ignoring her teacher yelling out the last minute homework assignment for the night.

Emily made her way through the crowded hallway to her locker. She was putting her books into her locker when she felt a familiar pair of hands cover her eyes. "Guess who?" he whispered.

She laughed and turned around to meet a pair of chocolate brown eyes. She smacked him lightly on the chest, "Nikolas! Don't do that, you scared the crap out of me!"

Nikolas laughed, "I'm sorry. I just couldn't bear to resist." He was relieved to see Emily smiling. She seemed to be coping a lot better.

Emily returned to putting her books in her locker, "It's alright, I forgive you." She threw over her shoulder. She grabbed her coat and closed her locker.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yep," She replied. Nikolas placed his hand on the small of her back and led her through the hall, dodging a few running kids, excited about the weekend. They made their way out to the parking lot and Nikolas opened the door for her. "Always a gentleman," She teased as she climbed in his jag.

"Well I try," He said as he shut the door and got in on the other side. "So are you ready for the dance?" Nikolas asked nonchalantly. He knew that she was nervous about the whole thing. She was afraid that nobody would like it, even though Nikolas knew everyone would love it. He didn't understand why she was so afraid people wouldn't like it, she had done events before and everyone had always enjoyed them.

"Yeah, I'm actually kind of excited about it." She said enthusiastically. She just happened to leave out the reason why she was excited about it. The only reason she was even going was because of Nikolas. "I think it will be good for me. You know, get my mind off of the hell my life has turned into." She said sarcastically. "Thank you for going with me tonight, Nikolas. I know that you would have rather asked your lady love." She teased, hating every word as she said it. She decided to voice the thought that had been swimming around in her head since he had asked her to go with him. "Nikolas, I don't want you to go with me because you feel bad for me. I would rather stay at home and you ask out this mysterious girl that you refuse to tell me anything about."

Nikolas laughed at her ignorance. How could she not see what's right in front of her? It took all of his self control not to scream, 'YOU ARE MY LADY LOVE!' Instead, he said something that wouldn't scare her and have her running for the hills. "Em, how could you even think that the only reason I asked you to go with me tonight was because I felt bad for you?" At her shrug, he continued, "Emily, you are my best friend. You are one of the most important people in my life. You rank 10 times higher than a girl that you will not stop asking me about." When he saw her smile he couldn't help but smile too.

Nikolas pulled into the driveway of the gatehouse and cut the engine. He turned back to Emily and sighed. "Now, go inside, relax for a while and I'll be back here to pick you up at 6:30." She smiled and nodded. "Because I _WANT_ too," he added as she got out of the car.

Emily sighed and watched as Nikolas drove away. She had a lot to do. She planned on relaxing for a little while, and she was definitely going shopping for a new dress.

Nikolas felt the butterfly's in his stomach as he pulled into the driveway of the Quartermaine gatehouse. Emily's car was in the driveway and so was a silver SUV that he didn't recognize. He shrugged it off and walked into the front office and made his way to the back where the doors to the house were. He knocked softly and waited patiently for it to be answered.

"Carly! I don't look right!" Emily complained as she stared at herself in the full length mirror.

Carly sighed. She was so difficult. "Em, you never think you look good. I am telling you that you look incredible." At Emily's uncertain look she continued, "There has never been one girl that thought she actually looked good when she was about to go on a date." She shrugged. "It's genetic." She compromised.

Emily smiled and shook her head. "This isn't a date, Carly. Nikolas and I are just going as friends." Carly snorted loudly. "That's very lady like." Emily teased. Carly and Emily had become really close ever since she had started dating Jason. They would always go shopping together, and talk about everything. Emily had called Carly, freaking out about what to wear. They had even gone shopping earlier that day.

Carly laughed loudly. "Yea, right," Carly placed her hands on Emily's shoulders. "Em, a girl doesn't agonize over her clothes if it isn't a date, especially with a very handsome prince." Just then they heard the knock at the door. Carly looked back at Emily and smiled. "Relax; you're going to knock his socks off." Carly took off downstairs to answer the door as Emily put the last minute touches on her appearance.

Carly opened the door and whistled. "Looking good, prince boy," She said as she led Nikolas into the living room. Nikolas laughed and asked, "Is Em ready yet?"

"She'll be down in a sec." She replied as she walked around him.

Nikolas turned toward the stairs when Carly was finished inspecting him and felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Emily looked absolutely gorgeous. She walked down the stairs in a black, strapless dress that fell right above her knees. Her hair was down in small, soft curls and her smile was radiant. She stopped in front of Nikolas and looked concerned. "Nikolas, are you alright?"

He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded his head. "Yea, I'm fine."

She watched as he looked her up and down and all of a sudden felt very self-conscious. She hadn't realized that she was holding her breath until he said, "Wow, you… look… amazing." She smiled warmly at him. "You look pretty amazing yourself." She said as she ran her hand along his black tux.

'Oh great, how the hell am I supposed to get through the night with her now?' Nikolas asked himself. He wasn't sure if he would be able to control himself without kissing her or telling her how much he loved her. "Are you ready?" He finally asked.

"Yea, let me just grab my coat." She picked up her coat and he helped her into it, his fingers lingering on her shoulders. Carly watched with an observant eye as the pair walked out the door. Emily may not be able to see what's so clear, but she knew better. She could tell that Nikolas had feelings for Emily. She would have to run that by Emily when she got home.

All eyes were on Nikolas and Emily as they walked into the dance with Emily's arm linked through Nikolas'. The place looked amazing. There were red and green streamers and balloons everywhere. The whole place proved that everyone who helped put the dance together had Christmas spirit.

Emily scanned the dance floor, looking for Lucky or Elizabeth, hoping that they had reconciled and went to the dance together, but had no luck. Nikolas only had eyes for the woman on his arm. Thankfully, she hadn't noticed his insistent staring.

Just then Emily's guidance counselor approached them. "Emily! There you are!"

Emily smiled warmly, "Hi Mrs. Aliberto." At her parents' insistence, they had gotten together a lot in the past few weeks to talk about college and extra curricular activities that would look good on her application. Although being charitable organizer was great, she was interested in exploring other options. She wanted to get into the best college and speaking with Mrs. Aliberto really helped and gave her more confidence.

"This place looks incredible, as do you." Mrs. Aliberto commented.

Nikolas started to feel like the third wheel so he decided to give them time to speak. "Emily, I'm going to get us some punch." He said and left the two to talk.

Emily nodded and thanked Nikolas before turning her attention back to her Guidance Counselor. "It turned out a lot better than expected." Emily said.

Mrs. Aliberto waved her hands in the air. "It just goes to show that you should give yourself more credit. This place looks great and everyone is having a wonderful time. In fact, Monday I would like to sit down with you after school and talk about your options. We can talk about the colleges you would like to apply to, what they're looking for and so on."

Emily nodded. "Sure, Monday afternoon I'll be there."

Mrs. Aliberto smiled and made her exit.

Nikolas made his way to the punch bowl and poured Emily and himself a glass. Taylor Devivo walked up behind Nikolas with a smirk on her face.

"So are you and Ms. Quartermaine an item now?" She said from behind him.

Nikolas spun around at the familiar voice and smiled, "Hello to you too Taylor." Taylor was in Nikolas' 3rd period study hall class. She sat right behind him and they talked all the time. They were pretty good friends, in school that is. She would dump all of her boyfriend problems on him and he would confide in her about his feelings for Emily. She didn't know much about the last few days because she had left town for a family emergency, but he was glad that she was back.

She dismissed his sarcastic comment, "Quit dodging the question. I haven't been gone _that_ long have I?"

Nikolas laughed softly, "No, no we are not an item. We just came together," He paused and looked over at Emily talking to one of her friends, smiling brightly, "as friends." He finished glumly.

Taylor placed her hand on his arm. "Don't worry about it, it'll happen. I can totally tell that she likes you."

Nikolas snapped his head towards her when she said that. "What?"

Taylor laughed at his blindness. Well not his blindness, all guys' blindness. "You can tell that she likes you. The way she held onto your arm when you walked in together, the way she keeps glancing over at you while she's talking to one of her friends, the way she blushes every time you look over at her… "

"Wow, you're very observant."

"I'm just a girl. We know these things. You just need to look for the signs." She patted him on the shoulder and wished him a good luck before Emily walked over, smiling.

"So is that your new lady love?" She asked, nonchalantly. She saw her place a hand on his shoulder and couldn't help but feel jealous. She liked Taylor, she was very sweet, but she had a boyfriend.

"Taylor Devivo?" Nikolas asked, surprised. Was that jealousy he heard in her voice? Was Taylor right? This was just confusing him even more. Nikolas shook his head and chuckled, "No, Taylor and I are just friends. I have no interest in her. Besides, she has a boyfriend." He handed her a glass of punch.

Emily sighed in frustration, "So are you going to tell me who this girl is then?" She patted her eyes sweetly.

Nikolas pretended to contemplate the question for a minute and started to nod, but instead shook his head, "No, no I don't think I am." He laughed.

"Fine, I'll stop bugging you about it then." She decided aloud.

"Some how I doubt that." Nikolas concluded with a laugh.

_**Baby you don't know, what you do to me. Between me and you, I feel a chemistry. Won't let no one come and take your place. Cause the love you give can't be replaced. See no one else love me like you do. That's why I don't mind to spend my life with you. Wanna please you in anyway I can. Wanna share my world don't you understand. **_

He heard the upbeat music change to a slow song and set his punch down. He stretched his hand to Emily, "Care to dance?"

Emily smiled and took his hand, "I would love to."

_**Your love is a one in a million it goes on and on and on you give me a really good feelin all day long. Your love is a one in a million it goes on and on and on you give me a really good feelin all day long.**_

Emily wrapped her arms around Nikolas' neck and he pulled her in close. They began to sway softly to the music. They didn't say a word; they just enjoyed the feel of each other.

_**Turn me inside out make my heart speak. Don't want no one else you are all I need. Personality(ty) in everything you do(do). Makes me love everything bout you. Your smile your style so fly I can't deny I got a crush on you and that's true indeed. I'm diggin you your makin me believe.**_

Nikolas took advantage of the strapless dress, and his hands explored her skin, soaking in the feel of her touch. He knew that he should stop but he couldn't. He wanted to stay like this forever, with Emily in his arms.

_**Your love is a one in a million it goes on and on and on you give me a really good feelin all day long. Your love is a one in a million it goes on and on and on you give me a really good feelin all day long. **_

As for Emily, she felt like she was flying. She felt like she was in a dream, where only she and Nikolas existed in the world.

**_I'll give you anything you want from me anything you want anything you need anything your soul desires I'll give you anything you want from me anything you want anything you need anything your soul desires Your love is a one in a million it goes on and on and on You give me a really good feelin all day long. fades Love it babe. echo love it babe. love it babe_**

She honestly couldn't tell you how long they were dancing for. It felt like hours. She hadn't noticed anything around them until she noticed the dance floor was almost empty. She pulled her head back and Nikolas gazed down at her like she was the only woman in the room. She felt her face burn with red from the way he was staring at her. "Nikolas, we're the only people left on the dance floor." She whispered.

He looked around the empty dance floor, with his arms still wrapped securely around Emily. She didn't seem to mind so he didn't remove them. He spotted Taylor in the back. She smirked and winked at him and he smiled. "Wow, I didn't even realize the dance was over." He said.

She smiled, "Me either."

Nikolas stared at her and laughed when her stomach started to growl. "Are you hungry?"

She blushed and nodded her head. "It's ok; I can make something to eat at home. I'm pretty tired."

Nikolas took the hint and grabbed her coat for her. "Come on. Let's get out of here." He said and led her out of the school.

Nikolas walked Emily to her door. He was sad to see the night end, although he usually was when he was with her. She stopped at the door and turned to Nikolas. "Thank you so much for tonight, Nikolas. I had such a great time!" She exclaimed.

Nikolas loved to see her smile. If he made her smile once in a day, then it would make his week. "Well, it was absolutely no problem at all." He smiled. "I had a great time too. So, thank you for attending with me."

Emily was beaming. She pulled Nikolas into a hug and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her strawberry scent.

All Emily was concentrating on was his hands running up and down her sides. It was hard to concentrate on anything else. It wasn't a friendly rub.

Nikolas pulled back slowly and began to kiss her on the cheek, but before he could think about what he was doing he missed her cheek and went to her lips instead. His hands were resting on her hips until after a second, she started to respond, and he wrapped his arms around her small waist.

Emily was completely caught off guard by the kiss. It was mind blowing. She had no idea that Nikolas had feelings for her until he kissed her. That proved that he had feelings for her, right? Maybe it was just in the moment. The thoughts diminished from her mind when Nikolas deepened the kiss. She threw her arms around his neck and everything else was kind of a blur.

Carly heard Emily pull up in the driveway and she was so anxious to hear about her night, plus she really needed Emily's advice. She opened the front door and her mouth dropped when she saw them engaged in a passionate kiss. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt."

Nikolas and Emily sprang apart when Carly came out. Nikolas' arms dropped to his sides and he nervously ran a hand through his hair.

"Em, I'll be inside when you guys are… finished."

Nikolas panicked suddenly. What was he going to say to Emily if Carly left? He grabbed onto the way out quickly, "No, Carly its ok, I was just leaving." He quickly turned to leave, despite Emily's objections.

"Nikolas, wait." Emily pleaded.

"Em, talk to Carly. I'll see you later." He rushed and sped walked to his car, hopped in, and sped off.

Emily watched him, dumbfounded, as he drove off.

"What was that all about?" Carly asked.

"I have no idea." Emily sighed as she turned back to Carly.

"Em, I'm soo sorry."

"It's ok, Carly. I'll just call him tomorrow and find out what the hell that was about. I'm too exhausted to deal with this tonight." She said as she walked into the house, Carly following close behind.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Emily walked down the stairs, dressed in a black turtle neck and faded jeans. Her hair was straight and her face had a nice soft layer of makeup on. She was so frustrated! She had called Nikolas' cell at least 10 times and he still hadn't answered. She left about 5 messages on his machine and he wasn't answering his home phone either. Every time she called one of the maids or servants would tell her that he was busy, he wasn't home, or he wasn't taking any calls. Each time the excuse was different.

She grabbed the phone off of the hook on the wall next to the stairs on her way out and dialed Nikolas' house again. She knew he was there and that he was avoiding her, and she couldn't stand it. She needed answers and she needed them now. Why the hell did he kiss her? Not that she minded. The kiss was incredible, nothing that she had ever experienced before. What was the end result? Nikolas not talking to her. She would have preferred the kiss to have never happened.

Emily was once again greeted by his answering machine. She slumped down onto the sofa waiting for the beep.

Nikolas sat at his desk, staring at the phone like he had been all morning. Emily had called him repeatedly, and each time he couldn't bring himself to pick up the phone. What was he going to do? What had he done? He was afraid that he had ruined the only friendship that he so desperately wanted to hold onto. He just needed to clear his head. He needed time to figure out if he was going to tell Emily the truth and pray that it doesn't ruin their friendship, or lie and make sure their friendship is safe.

Nikolas wasn't sure if he was ready to admit his feelings for her, at least out loud. What if Taylor _was_ right though? What if Emily did have those feelings for him? She _did_ kiss him back. Nikolas snapped his head towards the phone when it started ringing. He looked at the caller Id and it confirmed what he had already figured, it was Emily.

He listened as the machine picked up and wondered if she would leave another message. He had listened to each of her messages at least 5 times.

"Nikolas… Nikolas, please answer the phone. I know you're there." She sighed. "Nikolas, please talk to me." The desperation in her voice tore his heart apart. "Fine, you won't answer the phone, but you can't hide forever. I know where you live, and you have to go to school sometime." Nikolas heard her start to cry and hated himself even more. "Nikolas, I'm sure your answering machine is pretty much out of tape, so I'll stop calling you. If you want to talk to me then you know how to reach me." She sniffed and hung up.

Nikolas felt like scum. He hated making her cry. He had to talk to her. He couldn't sit here, knowing that she was hurting because of him.

Emily slumped down into her couch as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She shouldn't be agonizing over this. It couldn't be that big of a deal. She and Nikolas had had fights before and they always got past it. Of course this wasn't a fight. Nikolas was her best friend. She didn't know what she would do without him, and now that that was a possibility, it scared her to death.

Emily was determined to get him to talk to her. She knew that he was home. Where else would he be? If she knew Nikolas the way she believed she did, then he wouldn't leave the house because there was a good chance that he would run into her, and he was obviously avoiding her.

Emily stood up, determined, grabbed her coat and keys and headed out the door in hopes that she could get Nikolas to talk to her.

Emily hopped off of the launch and made her way to the front door. There were guards posted there, which meant Nikolas more than likely gave orders not to let anyone, especially her, in to see him. Luckily, she knew one of the guards. George, he was a nice old man that she had met many times while she was visiting Nikolas on the island. She knew that he liked her. One day she was talking to him about how grandmother loved old vintage quilts and he had recommended a nice place for them.

She slowly approached him and smiled softly, "Hey George."

"Hello Ms. Quartermaine, how are you today?" He asked politely.

"I'm doing alright, but I really need to see Nikolas."

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Cassadine is not seeing anyone right now."

"Not even me?"

"He gave me direct instructions not to let anyone in right now."

"Listen, George, it's really important that I see him right now. You know that I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." She reasoned, and hoped to god that it worked.

She knew she liked George for a reason. He sighed and moved from the door. He opened and turned away, "I never saw you." He said and smiled at her.

"Thank you George!" She exclaimed before walking inside. The living room was dark which unnerved her. She walked slowly through the room to the back study and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Nikolas leaning back in his chair, staring at the phone.

"Waiting for a call?" She asked softly.

Nikolas' head snapped up at her voice. He sat up straight and stared at her for a few minutes. She was leaning on the doorframe with her arms crossed. She looked exhausted and worried. He knew that look all too well. Her eyes were red and puffy, obviously from crying. Tears that he had caused; and he hated himself for it. What was he going to say to her? He had been thinking about this moment for hours but still hadn't come to a decision. Maybe he would let her talk first. He had never been this nervous around her before. Even when he had first met her, he still wasn't _this_ nervous. He stood up slowly, but didn't make any effort to move from his place. "Emily, WH-what are you doing here?" He finally stammered. "How did you get in here?"

Emily stood straight now and uncrossed her arms, "I have my ways." She whispered. She started to walk toward him and he fell back into his chair while trying to back away from her. The closer she came, the more nervous he got.

Emily stopped in the middle of the room when she saw his look. He had never been this agitated in front of her before. She couldn't believe that it had come to this. Why was he acting this way? It wasn't that big of a deal. They just … kissed. No biggie, right? But if he didn't want to talk to her then why was he staring at the phone when she came in. She knew that he wasn't expecting her so he must have thought that she would have kept calling. He clearly underestimated her.

Nikolas couldn't believe the way she got to him. He had never had any problems getting girls before. Although, this wasn't just any girl, this was Emily, The woman that he had been in love with since he had first met her. He had never been nervous around girls, _ever_. He was always calm, cool and collected. Why was she getting to him like this? It was Emily; they had been friends for years.

After a few minutes of silence, Emily finally asked, "Nikolas, why won't you talk to me?"

It took him a while to answer the question. He just stared at her, his confused emotions evident on his face. "I'm sorry, Em. I-I um… just needed some t-time to clear my head." He stated as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Clear your head?" She laughed slightly. "Clear your head on what, Nikolas? On what you were going to tell me when you saw me again? On how you were going to tell me that we are better off friends and that kiss meant nothing? How you were caught up in the moment and didn't know what you were doing? That you had lost all common sense?"

Nikolas just gaped at her, staying silent. He had no idea where this was going. Every time he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out.

She stared angrily at him and she started to yell at him. "Are you going to tell me that things are going to be too weird between us now and tell me that I'm better off without you? That you don't want to see me anymore? That you think it would be in our "best interests" if we aren't friends anymore?" Her eyes filled up with tears as she frantically yelled at him.

When she came over here she was determined to have a civilized conversation with him about what had transpired between them. She was so afraid that she was going to lose her best friend, and she wasn't going to let that happen. Now her emotions and confused feelings about him were clouding her judgment and taking over her self control.

"Not friends anymore? What? Em, what are you talking about?" He asked gently as he finally built up the nerve to stand and walk towards her. He stopped in front of her and her tears worsened. "You're afraid that I don't want to spend time with you anymore because I kissed you?"

"Yes! Okay, I do and I won't let you do it, Nikolas." She exploded. Nikolas couldn't believe what he was seeing. He pulled her into his arms as she sobbed into his chest, and she gripped him tightly.

"Em… I'm sorry for what happened, but there's no way in hell that I would ever want you to stay away from me." He pulled back slightly and cupped her face in his hands. "You are my best friend, Em. Nothing is going to change that, do you understand?"

Emily stared down at her feet and he gently forced her to look up at him by lifting her chin with his hand. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that, I was just so confused, and afraid." She confessed.

"Em, about that kiss…" He hesitated as her eyes found their way back to his. He couldn't tell her the truth, even though it killed him inside. Seeing her react that way opened his eyes to the truth. If she reacted that way when she thought she was going to lose him, he could only imagine how she would react if she found out that he was in love with her. "I'm sorry. I-I guess I was… just caught up in the moment. I don't want to do anything to ruin what we have, do you understand? I can't lose you Em, and the last thing in the world that I want to do is hurt you, so if I'm hurting you by telling you this, then please tell me."

She shook her head, quickly trying to hide her disappointment and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I understand, Nikolas. I mean, I did kiss you back. It's best if we just put this behind us and go back to the way we were."

He nodded. This was for the best, he kept telling himself as he wrapped his arms around her and held onto her like there was no tomorrow.

Emily sniffed and lifted her head from his chest. She stared deeply into his eyes and whispered, "So, I'm not going to lose you?"

He smiled ruefully and shook his head, "I'm not going anywhere," He vowed.

She nodded and relaxed as he secured her into his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Nikolas gazed out the window blankly while sitting on the window seat. He had been sitting in this position for the past two hours. His thoughts were endless, all Emily of course. He was silently berating himself for not telling her how he truly felt. The only excuse he could come up with was that it was his only option not to lose her. She had a boyfriend, she was happy. Besides, she already had enough on her plate and she didn't need him to add more to it. There was no way he could tell her.

All he could see were those tears in her eyes. He couldn't tell her the truth and seeing that she was just as scared about losing him, proved that. He gazed at the door when he heard the front door slam, and was pleasantly surprised when Emily barged in the door. He stood up as she stormed over to him and he was instantly concerned.

"Emily, is something wr--"he was cut off when she grabbed his face to pull his head down to meet her own, and kissed him fiercely. He immediately responded by opening his mouth and kissing her back fully. He didn't know what was going on but every instinct that was telling him to stop the kiss now flew from his mind when he felt her tongue slip into his mouth.

As fast as the kiss had started, it ended when she pulled back abruptly. His face was still in her hands and she looked at him intently.

Nikolas opened his eyes and stared at her in confusion. What just happened? "What's wrong?" He asked gruffly.

"You don't love me." She replied, her eyes never leaving his.

Nikolas opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off, "You told me that you just want to be my friend, and nothing more."

Nikolas was in a state of complete confusion. If he had told her that he wanted to be just friends, then why was she kissing him? Not that he had not enjoyed the kiss, because he had. He was about to speak when she cut him off once again. "I guess we can't do that if we're nothing but friends." She paused and looked at him. "Unless you lied, but you would never lie to me, right Nikolas?"

He started to shake his head in protest since he wasn't able to formulate a response right now but she dropped her hands from his face and turned to leave. She stopped short when she got to the door and turned back to face him, "That's too bad; I guess you'll never know what could have been." She stated and left the room.

Nikolas jumped up when he heard the phone ring. He gazed around his dark bedroom and rubbed his eyes wearily. It was just a dream. It had been one week since he had kissed her and he still had dreams about it. All of them were different. He glanced over at the glowing 2:15 am on his alarm as he reached over and picked the phone up. Who could be calling him at this time?

"Hello?" He asked sleepily.

"Hey sleepyhead, did I wake you?"

Nikolas smiled at the sound of her voice, but his smile soon fell when he realized that she sounded upset. Now fully awake, he asked, "Emily? Is something wrong?"

He heard her sigh through the phone and sat up in his bed. "I- um… Just had a dream and I couldn't sleep."

"Are you ok?" She sounded too shaky for his liking.

She paused for a few moments, "It-it's silly, I'm sorry for waking you up Nikolas. I should have never called, umm… I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?"

"Emily," he said in that I-know-you-better-than-you-know-yourself tone. "You're obviously upset; otherwise you wouldn't have called me in the middle of the night. Tell me what's wrong."

"I just had a dream that left me a little shaky is all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked gently.

"No. I-," She laughed softly, "I just wanted to hear your voice. It always calms me down when I'm upset."

He smiled. That had made him feel special to know that just his voice calmed her down. The feeling was mutual. From then on Nikolas had gotten her to talk to him. She told him her goals, dreams and plans for the future. She told him that she wanted to be a writer, and that her dream was to work at a prestigious magazine corporation one day. He had partaken and told her all of his dreams and goals, excluding her being his main objective of course.

He hadn't realized how long they had talked until he saw the sun start to rise. "Wow, it's almost 6." He whispered.

Emily gasped. He was so easy to talk to she had completely lost track of time. "We must have lost track of time." She laughed softly. "Nikolas, I'm sorry."

He furrowed his brows, "for what?"

She sighed, "For keeping you up all night on the phone." She said softly.

"I don't mind Em, really. I'm glad you called me."

"You are?"

"Yes. I'm glad that you trusted me enough to talk to me about everything." Honored was more the word. Even though he couldn't help but wince inwardly every time she had mentioned Julian's name.

"Nikolas, I talk to you about everything anyway. Why would I not trust you?"

"Well, we haven't really been that close lately. I'm just happy that we were able to fall back into that comfort zone that we shared before, ya know?"

"Yea, me too," she whispered.

As much as he wanted to continue the conversation, he could hear the exhaustion lining her voice. "Ok well listen, I know you're exhausted so I'm going to let you get some sleep."

"If I can sleep," She snorted.

"Emily, I want you to promise me that you'll at least try to get some sleep, ok?" He asked.

"Ok, I promise that I'll try. Thank you so much Nikolas, for listening to me ramble on and on about my screwed up life." She laughed.

"Em, you're my best friend. It was no problem at all. You know that all I've ever wanted was for you to be happy." He finished that last part softly.

"I know that, and I don't want you to think that I'm not grateful."

"I don't. Emily I'm happy to listen. I've lost count of all the times you just sat and listened to me excurse about my problems. I'm happy to do the same for you." Nikolas could practically hear her shrug.

"I don't do it so that you owe me something, Nikolas."

"I know that, and I'm not doing it because I feel like I'm obligated to. I do it because I want to."

"Well thanks."

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep. I'll pick you up around 3."

"Ok. I'll see you then." She countered.

After Emily hung up the phone she lay back on her bed and closed her eyes. She really should try to get some sleep. Nikolas was going to pick her up later and they were going to paint his cottage. She was really looking forward to spending more time with him. Plus seeing him paint should be pretty amusing to watch. Ever since their kiss, things have been different between them. They haven't really hung out lately and Emily was determined to get their old relationship back.

With that thought still floating around in her head, she quickly drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Nikolas pulled into the driveway of the Quartermaine gatehouse anxiously. He hadn't seen a lot of Emily since their kiss and he truly missed her. He couldn't wait to hang out with her again. He couldn't wait to see the soft light in her eyes again, or the way her face lit up when she saw him. '_Stop it_!' He told himself. '_Emily thinks of you as a friend and nothing more. You need to get over this and move on_.' Even though he knew that the chances of that were slim.

He checked his appearance in his rear view mirror like a giddy school girl and stepped out of the car. He rang the doorbell nervously, and waited patiently as Emily made her way to the door. She was beaming as she opened the door. She felt a lot better than she had earlier. Her nap had rejuvenated her.

Nikolas broke out into a grin as soon as he saw her. That smile, he loved that smile. He hadn't seen it in a while. It took him a while to find his voice, "You ready to go?" He asked, his voice cracking softly as his nerves started to kick in.

"Yea," She stated. She grabbed her purse and coat and let Nikolas lead her to the car. She almost melted when he instinctively placed his hand on the small of her back. If this is how she reacted from just one touch, then she didn't have a prayer in lasting the entire afternoon without spilling her undying love for him.

Nikolas felt it too. Now that he had a taste of her, all he wanted to do was kiss her into submission. He had to have some self control left. He just had to find it, and then grasp a hold on it. Finding it wasn't the problem. The problem was holding onto it after he had it in his grip.

About an hour later they were both in his living room, covered in paint. It was awkward at first, but within no time they had fallen into the comfortable feeling that they had always had when they were together. It was almost like old times, _almost_.

Nikolas had been staring at Emily all night. He couldn't help it. She was so beautiful. Even though she had paint on her hands and all over her clothes, her hair was tied up in a messy bun on the top of her head and she had no makeup on, in his eyes she still looked like an angel sent down from heaven.

Emily was oblivious to his consistent gazing. She honestly hadn't noticed. She was just happy to be in the same room with him and grateful for them being able to get back what she thought they had lost forever. Although it was taking almost all of her self control not to fling herself into his arms and kiss him, at least not without having him catch on to her true feelings toward him. 'I'm sure that wouldn't scare him away forever.' She thought sarcastically. She couldn't help but remind herself that _he_ was the one that had kissed her to begin with.

Trying to clamp down on the feelings that thought brews, she climbed the small foot ladder they had set up in the living room and started to paint the top of the wall. "Hey prince boy, can you hand me that brush?" she teased. She knew he hated that nickname.

"Prince Boy?" He mocked, pretending to be offended.

"You heard me prrrrrince boy." She exaggerated.

"Say the magic word." He insisted.

"Hmm would the magic word be Prince Cassadine?"

Emily laughed as he rolled his eyes and shook his head, dropping the brush to his side. Exasperated, she climbed down the foot ladder and made a grab for the brush. He stretched it over his head and, because he had a few inches on her, she couldn't reach it. With her previous thoughts far from her mind, she grabbed a smaller paint brush with a little bit of paint on it and smeared it on the side of his face.

His mouth hanging open he said "oh my god. I can't believe you just did that."

She almost doubled over laughing. He wiped his face, making the paint worse, and cocked his eyebrow. "You think this is funny?" He asked, pointing to his paint covered face. It would have worked a lot better if he hadn't had a huge grin on his face.

"Fine, you wanna play dirty?" He started to chase her around the room with the brush in hand. She was almost laughing hysterically now. When he caught up with her he grabbed her waist and held her still as he put the paint on her forehead. Before long, an all out paint war was going on in his living room. If it weren't for the plastic covering on the floor and the fact that there was no furniture in the room, there would have been paint everywhere.

Nikolas decided to forget the paint and try a new tactic. Once he got a hold of her he started tickling her and she fell over laughing, dragging Nikolas with her. Emily fell flat on her back with Nikolas on top of her, still laughing. His face was hovering right above hers, and she suddenly found it very hard to breathe.

He was right on top of her. His mind was telling him that this was a mistake, but every other instinct in his body was telling him other wise. He looked into her eyes and he could have sworn that he saw the same desire reflecting his own. He didn't know what he was thinking, or maybe he wasn't thinking. A thing he was never capable of doing when she was around.

As if acting out of instinct, he slowly leaned down until his lips descended on top of hers in a soft, slow kiss. Emily responded immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. She moaned softly as his tongue entered her mouth and danced with her own.

Emily was in a complete daze, aside from her confused feelings. She felt like she was in a wonderful dream that someone forgot to wake her up from. The thoughts of pushing him away and demanding an explanation vanished from her mind almost immediately.

Nikolas reluctantly drew back, the need for oxygen overpowering him. Breathing heavily, they stared at each other in wonder; their faces not even an inch away from each other, until he heard a ringing in his ears. He wished he could tell what she was thinking. He stared deeply into her chocolate brown eyes and felt as though he could drown in them when Emily's voice broke him out of his trance.

"Nikolas" she whispered softly, still breathing wildly. "Nikolas?"

He finally came back to reality when he realized she had said something, "Yea?" He whispered.

"My phone"

"What?"

"My phone is ringing. I have to answer it."

"Oh right your-uh-phone- right answer-uh phone. Yea," he stammered as he lifted himself off of her.

Emily walked over to the counter and picked up her phone slowly, still trying to process what had just happened. Nikolas stood off to the side nervously running his hand through his hair while trying his best not to make eye contact with her. Now what was he going to say to her?

Emily glanced over at him as she answered her phone, trying to read him but he just looked nervous and embarrassed. "Hello?" She asked shakily.

"Emily, I'm glad you answered. Where are you?"

"Ned? She asked. "I'm with Nikolas, why?" His voice sounded worried, and a knot started to form in her stomach.

He hesitated, "You need to come to the hospital, now." He said slowly.

"What happened?"

"Emily I would rather wait until you got –"

"Ned, please just tell me." She said forcefully.

Ned sighed, "There's been an accident and it … it doesn't look good." He whispered that last part.

"Who?" She asked softly.

"Aj."

Emily felt tears sting her eyes, "I'll be right there." She hung up her phone and turned back to Nikolas with tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

He was instantly worried and carefully walked over to her, the kiss far from his mind. "Em?" He asked. She didn't say anything, just started crying. Instantly, Nikolas had her in his arms as she sobbed into his shirt, holding onto him as if he were her lifeline. He held her tight, willing her tears to go away. What the hell happened? He thought to himself.

Nikolas wasn't sure if he should push the subject or just hold her. He pulled away slightly, not letting her out of his embrace, and pushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "What happened?" He asked delicately.

"I have to get to the hospital." She looked up into his eyes, silently asking him to come with her.

Nikolas winced at the deep pain he saw brewing there. There was no way in hell he would let her face this alone.

"Aj was in an accident, and" she took a deep breath trying her best to stay strong, "it doesn't look good."

Nikolas nodded his head and grabbed her coat and his keys and hurriedly led her to the car.

Emily barreled into the ER where almost her entire family sat, Nikolas close on her heels. Emily quietly walked up to her Monica, who sat in one of the plastic chairs with a distant look in her eyes, and hugged her tightly.

Nikolas, deciding to let them have some time together, observed the room. The entire Quartermaine clan was there. In the waiting room sat Tracy, Dillon, Georgie, Justus, Monica, Emily and Edward was, of course, arguing with Ned while Skye was trying to break it up. He even thought he saw Jason and Carly there. He walked over to where Monica and Emily sat and quietly told her that he was going to get a cup of coffee. She thanked him and turned her attention back to her mother.

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"They think he was drunk." She said sadly.

Emily stared at her in disbelief. Aj had been sober for months. He was doing so well. It had to be a mistake. "Mom, that's impossible."

Monica shook her head and looked at her daughter. "When he found out about your father, he was so angry and upset. He stormed out of the house and none of us had seen him since. We had no idea what had happened. We just chalked it up to him needing some time alone." She took a deep breath as her eyes filled with tears once again. "Then I get a call that he was brought into the ER."

"I'm so sorry mom." Emily said before embracing her again.

Monica pulled away and looked at her daughter, really looked at her. "How are you holding up? I haven't seen much of you lately."

"I've been keeping myself busy, trying to deal with everything that's been going on."

Monica looked up to see Nikolas talking to his aunt at the nurse's station. "Have you been spending a lot of time with Nikolas?" She asked innocently.

"Yea, he's been helping me a lot with everything. To be honest, I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't been there with me." She said as she looked over at him.

Monica saw the look in Emily's eyes, "I'm really glad that he's been with you." She faintly smiled knowingly, stood up and walked away without another word.

Emily watched her mother walk away and turned her attention back to Nikolas. 'So am I,' she thought to herself.

Nikolas walked back to Emily, who was staring off into space with a frown taking over her features. He quietly sat next to her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She snapped her head up and sighed. Nikolas smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

She smiled weakly, "its ok, I was just thinking."

"Care to share?"

Emily looked down at her clasped hands, "I was just thinking about how screwed up my life had become in the past week or so," Nikolas rubbed her back soothingly, "and about how much you helped me through everything."

"It was my pleasure." Nikolas heard her faint laugh and couldn't help but smile. "That's what friends are for right?"

Emily smiled up at him and nodded. Nikolas wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him, gaining strength from him.

About an hour later the waiting room was still filled with Quartermaines. Everyone was behaving themselves, even Edward. Nikolas was sitting on the couch with a half asleep Emily leaning on his shoulder. She shifted slightly and Nikolas looked down at her angelic face. He loved her so much and he desperately wished he could take her pain away. She sat up a little, looking apologetic.

"Has the doctor come out yet?" She asked sleepily.

Nikolas regretfully shook his head. Just then the doctor came out of the ICU with a bleak expression on his face. Everyone rushed towards him like a crowd of bulls. Emily noted the sad look on his face and knew the news wasn't good.

"George, how is he?" Monica asked, somewhat frantically.

The doctor sighed, "Monica, your son's injuries were very severe. His blood results showed that he had an immense amount of alcohol in his system. He had internal bleeding in his brain, and he began to hemorrhage. He flat lined twice on the table," He looked at all the expectant faces in the room and paused, contemplating his next words, "We were able to revive him the first time, but we weren't so lucky the second." He finished softly. "I'm so sorry."

Emily felt her knees buckle underneath her and if it weren't for Nikolas wrapping his arms around her, then she is sure she would have fallen. Emily cried softly into his chest and he held onto her even tighter.

Edward wrapped his arms around Monica who was crying softly, his own eyes brimming with tears. Skye was trying to comfort an obviously devastated Ned, and Dillon had his head in his hands. Even Jason's eyes were shining with tears.

Everyone started to clear out of the hospital and there was only Monica, Nikolas and Emily left in the waiting room. Monica was talking to the doctors while Nikolas sat on the couch with a very shaken Emily still in his arms. She hadn't said a word since she had gotten the news and Nikolas was really beginning to get worried about her. Her face was stained with tears and she looked exhausted.

Monica walked over to them, her own eyes shimmering. "Nikolas, can I speak with you for a moment." He looked at Emily and she nodded softly.

Monica led him a few feet away from Emily, out of her hearing range. "How is she?" She asked softly.

Nikolas looked down and sighed. "Not good."

She sniffled softly, "I just want to thank you for being such a good friend to her. She's been dealing with so much lately and it means a lot to me that she's had someone to help her through it all."

"I really care about your daughter, Monica, and I assure you that I will do anything I can to help her." He said as he gazed back at Emily. "I'd do anything _for_ her."

Monica observed his actions, "You love her," she stated matter-of-factly.

Nikolas snapped his head back, obviously caught off guard by the statement.

Monica smiled a genuine smile and she could tell by the yearning in his eyes. "I can tell."

Nikolas blushed slightly and smiled.

"My lips are sealed," She said. "Although, if you don't mind my opinion," she paused. At his nod she continued, "I think you should tell her. Every time she talks about you she gets that little sparkle in her eyes. I was really worried about her before. She seemed really unhappy until you came back into her life. I think you too would be great together. But that's just my opinion." She smiled

"Thank you Mrs. Quartermaine, that means a lot coming from you."

"It's my pleasure, Nikolas." She looked back at her shattered daughter who was still staring at nothing in particular, and back to Nikolas. She gently rested her hand on his arm, "Nikolas, can you take her home and make sure she's ok for me?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

"And my condolences to you, Mrs. Quartermaine. I'm really sorry about AJ."

She nodded her head softly. "Take care of my little girl, ok?"

"Of course."

Nikolas walked back to Emily and kneeled in front of her. He cupped her chin with his hand so that she would look at him and he winced inwardly at the depth of pain he saw in her eyes. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face, "Are you ok?" he whispered.

She shook her head softly and looked down at the ground, "No," her eyes found their way back to his, "but I will be… eventually."

He nodded and extended his hand to her. "Come on, let's get you home. You look exhausted."

She nodded and stood up shakily. She felt completely drained, the events of the night finally catching up with her. Nikolas helped her into her coat and grabbed her purse and led her to the elevator.

Nikolas had walked Emily inside and they were now sitting on the couch in her living room. She had asked him to stay for a little while because she didn't want to be alone right now and he had accepted with no hesitation. Now she sat there, with a devastated expression replacing the beaming smile she had earlier that day.

"This is because of my dad." She said quietly. So quietly in fact, that Nikolas had to strain to hear her, but he did and he moved closer to her, needing to comfort her. "My dad was his role model and after what happened, he just kind of spiraled down." She looked up at Nikolas with tears in her eyes. "Alan's court date was this morning, did I tell you that?"

Nikolas shook his head, "no."

"Oh, well it was. I didn't go but, my mom did and so did AJ."

"What happened?" He asked softly.

"He was found guilty for second degree murder. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison."

"I'm so sorry, Em. You don't deserve any of this."

"Maybe I do." She whispered.

Nikolas stared at her incredulously. "How could you believe that?"

Emily looked straight into his deep soulful eyes. "I'm not perfect, Nikolas. I have my share of mistakes and regrets. I've done some pretty stupid things in my days." She finally tore their eye contact and looked at her hands. "I wasn't close with my dad. After his first affair I lost all respect for him. He really would try, but I wouldn't. He would ask me if I wanted to have dinner with him or go see a movie because hey, my mom forgave him so why couldn't I?" She let out a small, watery laugh and Nikolas just listened. He didn't say anything, letting her get out what she wanted to say. "I always made excuses though. I had to do a report for school, or I was working on some project for an event coming up or something like that."

"I still loved him but I couldn't understand how my mom could forgive him after what he did to her. He cheated on her." She initiated eye contact again and held it as she spoke. "How could the one person that you're supposed to love and trust with all of your dreams and secrets, and share your entire life with share that with someone else? That is the ultimate act of deceit and she forgave him," She snapped her fingers, "Just like that."

Nikolas gently took her hand. He couldn't stand the pain he heard in her voice. It was breaking his heart.

"Maybe this was god's way of telling me that I should have given him another chance." A few tears spilled down Emily's cheeks. "That maybe, just maybe, if I had put in a little effort my father wouldn't be rotting in some jail cell and my brother would be alive."

Nikolas had never felt so helpless. He wished more than anything he could somehow shield her from this pain. "Emily don't, please don't blame yourself for this. You had no way of knowing that any of this would have happened, and to speculate the what-ifs just adds more pain."

"Maybe, but sometimes I can't help it."

"We all have regrets Emily, it's called being human and no one is perfect."

"You're right, but I shut him out of my life. I barely spoke to him and I avoided him at all costs. It wasn't fair to him."

"You did what you thought best at the time. You didn't feel comfortable with him after what he did to your mother. I don't blame you. If the positions were reversed I probably would have done the same thing."

Emily nodded her head. "Anyway, after the trial Mom and AJ came home with these looks on their faces." She sighed. "I will never forget the way they looked. Like their whole world just came crashing down on them. Mom was pale and her eyes were red and puffy. You could tell that she had been crying. Aj looked as though he had lost his best friend and in a way, I guess he did. Out of the entire family, they were the closest." She intertwined their fingers, drawing comfort from him. "Aj didn't say a word. He just left and… that was it. Aj definitely didn't deserve this. He was doing so well. He had been sober for almost a year."

"I remember one night, AJ and I were up real late talking in grandfather's study. He told me that he was planning to go back to college and get his business degree so that he would be more suitable for running ELQ with grandfather." She laughed softly, "He told me that he wanted to make dad proud of him. I just sat there and listened to him and he sounded so happy and I was happy for him. He was so excited to finally make something of himself, ya know?"

Nikolas nodded. "He was ambitious."

"Very. He sounded so determined. I mean, I've never heard him speak with such conviction in his voice." She shook her head as a few more tears fell freely. "Then, everything went crazy and he just… lost it, I guess."

Nikolas placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She sighed and Nikolas winced at the pain he heard in it.

"How could god take Aj away from us? If I've learned anything from attending mass every year, it's that everyone deserves a second chance. Aj proved that he was one of those people actually worthy of a fresh start and god didn't even give him that."

"Do you believe in the saying, everything happens for a reason?" He asked.

Emily thought about it for a second, and then nodded her head.

"Me too. Maybe god wasn't taking Aj away from you and your family for immoral reasons. Maybe he took him away because it was his time. Maybe Aj had to serve a bigger purpose and god needed him more. Maybe it was all a divine plan."

Emily sniffed and looked up at him, "weren't you the one who just told me that speculation can cause more pain?"

Nikolas smiled at her teasing; at least he hasn't lost her for good. Somewhere, the Emily that he knows and love will come shining through to replace a shell of a colorful woman that occupies his time right now. "Sometimes it can also help. Help you try to understand the reasoning behind it."

She nodded softly and tucked her head underneath his chin. "I feel as though I'm about to shatter into a million pieces."

"Well, if you shatter into a million pieces, than I will find each and every one of them and glue you back together."

Emily smiled and snuggled into him. "Thank you for staying with me Nikolas, and for listening. You helped more than you know."

"Good, because that's what I was going for." She laughed softly.

The room grew into a comfortable silence as each of them were encompassed in their own thoughts.

After a few minutes, Nikolas broke the silence, "Listen Em, I just wanted to apologize for earlier."

Emily waved a hand to dismiss the matter and slightly tightened her hold on him. "I don't want to talk about that right now, ok?"

"I understand." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, "but I know that you are exhausted because I'm exhausted and your day has been much longer than mine." He stood up and extended his hand to hers, "come on, you need to get some rest."

She nodded and accepted his hand as he helped her up. "I'm sorry for keeping you out so late." She said quietly and looked down.

"Hey," he cupped her chin so that she would look at him, "don't apologize. I already told you that I will always be here for you, no matter what, and I'm glad that I was with you tonight. If you need anything at all, I'm just a phone call away, ok? I'll be over in a flash." He smiled.

"Thank you, Nikolas." She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly as he kissed her on the cheek and secured her small frame in his muscular one.

After Nikolas had practically forced her upstairs, resorting to threatening her by picking her up and carrying into her room, he made sure she was upstairs before he headed home himself.


End file.
